Lover, Friend, and Protector
by Tearful Shadows
Summary: What if Aizen left a present for Ichigo as he was taken into the yellow light on the way to Hueco Mundo? What if Ichigo, who was gravely injured if you will recall, does something extraordinary and protects the three men that he loves? And what if all the Captains and Lieutenants were watching but unable to help? Rated for language.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n. So this was bouncing around my head the entire time I was doing the dishes and I really want to type this up. You see, I was wondering, whatever happened to the Grand Fisher? You know… that huge hollow that Soul Reapers have been trying to kill for fifty years and the hollow that killed Ichigo's mother? He ran away from their fight but whatever happened to him?**

**So…what if Aizen left a present for Ichigo as he was taken into the yellow light on the way to Hueco Mundo? What if Ichigo, who was gravely injured if you will recall, does something extraordinary and protects the three men that he loves? And what if all the Captains and Lieutenants were watching but unable to help?**

**Here are the answers to these questions. I'm sorry if perhaps these characters are a little OOC. Better put the disclaimer in here too now that I'm remembering that it is supposed to be here.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own… unfortunately.**

"So long rioka boy. Here is a little gift for you." Aizen said with a smirk as he looked down on Ichigo's fallen form from his position within the yellow light. He locked eyes with the others and his smirk widened. "And don't even think of helping him. I have put a force field up that has temporarily taken away your powers so you cannot help, even if you wanted to."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo yelled painfully, raising himself up on his arms a little bit more.

Aizen only smirked and the Captains and Lieutenants, as well as Ichigo's friends, gasped.

"Hello again, Ichigo. It's been a long time hasn't it." A female voice said sadly.

Ichigo stiffened noticeably and sucked in a sharp breath. "Mother?" he asked slowly. "Am I dead then?"

"It's ok, my son. You were so brave." The female said laying a hand on the back of Ichigo's head and stroking it softly.

"Mother." Ichigo breathed with such longing in his voice that it broke the hearts of all those there, even the ever stoic Byakuya Kuchiki.

"So that's Ichigo's mother? She's really pretty." Captain Ukitake said with a soft smile.

"ICHIGO! You have to snap out of it. You're not dead yet!" Rukia shouted desperately. She remembered this and knew that this would break Ichigo once he fought past the pain.

The hand in Ichigo's hair tightened before loosening and resuming its stroking. "I've missed you so much. Look at how much you've grown."

Ichigo smiled a heartbreaking smile as tears slipped down his face. "It's been six years." He whispered softly.

"Six years? Seems like a long time to go without seeing one's mother." Shunsui commented.

"Come on Ichigo. Think about it for a few minutes! Why haven't you seen your mother for six years?" Orihime yelled. She had caught on to what was happening and as one of the two people (not including Ichigo and his family) who knew that his mother was dead, it was up to her to get her friend to see reason.

Ichigo's face turned thoughtful. He concentrated for a few minutes before replying haltingly. "Six years ago…the river…my fault…she's dead…how?"

The hand tightened painfully. "I knew that you would figure it out eventually. Such a nice boy but too bad you weren't smarter. I always knew you were useless so when Lord Aizen offered me this chance I knew I had to take it. I can't let your worthlessness taint my other meals now can I?" the woman's voice said as she hauled Ichigo to his feet by his hair.

Ichigo felt a spear of agony stab him in the chest. Is own mother was saying all these horrible things to him? A look of absolute pain covered his face before it was blanked out by crushing sorrow. It was agonizing to watch.

"Ichigo please!" Rukia shouted. "Look past her. You have to see what's behind the ruse."

"That stupid girl! I had planned on crushing you a bit more but no matter. I guess this will just have to do." The woman's voice had become a harsh, grating sound by the end that was decidedly evil.

"Do you know what day it is here in the Soul Society today, Ichigo Kurosaki?" the evil voice asked. Ichigo heard the gasps of the others and knew that something bad had a hold of him. His suspicions were confirmed when he finally recognize the voice.

"Grand Fisher!" Ichigo spat. "What the hell do you want? And why the fuck do I care what day it is?" he hissed.

Rukia gasped. It was _that_ day.

"Today is June 17th." Grand Fisher said with relish.

"How the hell is that possible?" Ichigo asked, face drained of color and expression closed off. Every now and then, a spasm of pain would flit across his features from the giant wound he had received from Aizen.

"While you are in the Soul Society, time in the mortal world speeds up. And today just so happens to be June 17th and I'm sure that you remember what happened on that day." Grand Fisher explained maliciously.

"He's lying, Ichigo! Time here is no different than in the living world!" Renji yelled. Squad Four had just finished healing him but he was still weak.

"You bastard!" Ichigo swore. He spat in the hollow's face.

"Now I don't think that was very nice." Grand Fisher taunted. Ichigo found himself inside a giant claw-like hand. The hand squeezed him tightly, threatening to break his already almost severed spine. Ichigo's breathing quickened and he screamed in agony.

Grand Fisher threw him hard and Ichigo skidded across the ground to stop at Rukia's feet.

"ICHIGO!" his friends screamed. Rukia bent down and looked him over worriedly. Ichigo painstakingly sat up. "Ichigo, you shouldn't move. You could die if you don't get some help soon." Rukia said, tears threatening to fall.

"I'm…fine." Ichigo panted harshly as he forced himself to get up, eyes never leaving the hollow. "I won't…die just yet. I will…kill this damn…hollow." He said slowly. "Besides," he said, a glint of mischief sparking in his sorrowful eyes. "You still haven't properly thanked me for saving your ass."

"Ichigo." Rukia sighed. She watched him get to his feet, staggering slightly and leaning heavily on his sword, before closing his eyes. Everyone looked on in surprise as Ichigo began glowing an intense blue color. He took a hand off of his sword and hovered it gently in front of his wound. The glow flared brighter as the others watched in awe as the wound closed enough so that it was only bleeding sluggishly and did not threaten to cut him in half.

"You dare to dishonor my mother's memory again. Not only have you already done it once but you also ran from our last fight. You will not leave this place alive, hollow scum." Ichigo said venomously with his eyes still closed.

His eyes snapped open and they were glowing an eerie blue. The air became heavy and it was hard for the others to breathe. Some even fell to their knees.

"What is this spiritual pressure?" Shuuhei asked in awe. He was still standing but only just.

"It's Ichigo." Byakuya breathed, slightly in awe. This spiritual power was incredible. It was equal to his own and still increasing exponentially!

"What did he mean by dishonoring his mother's memory?" Uryu asked in confusion, trying to distract himself from the heady feeling of Ichigo's spiritual pressure brushing comfortingly against his own.

It was Rukia who answered. "Back when I was first being pursued by the Soul Society, Ichigo met Grand Fisher. He tried the same trick back then; using Ichigo's mother as a weapon against him. It worked last time but this time it worked a whole lot better. When it would have been Ichigo's win, Grand Fisher fled."

"Cowardly bastard!" Kenpachi spat.

"He almost beat Grand Fisher?" Shuuhei asked in awe. He had wondered why these rioka were willing to follow this Ichigo fellow but the more that he heard and saw, the more he understood. Ichigo was the purest hearted person that he had ever seen. He had gone through more than some of the members of the 13 Court Guard Squads and he still managed to selfless and kind. Ichigo Kurosaki made a breathtaking sight and Shuuhei couldn't help but think what it would be like to have such a kind soul as his.

"And the significance of June 17th?" Chad asked.

"That was the day that his mother was killed. Ichigo always acts so much differently on that day and I fear with the words that have been exchanged today, Ichigo may bear even more scars and pain than ever before." Rukia said sadly.

"Hang in there, kid! You're gonna be fine." Shunsui shouted.

Byakuya couldn't take his eyes away from Ichigo's glowing form. The wind had kicked up in a whirlwind around him, blowing his hair every which way, but Byakuya had never seen a more enticing sight. Those eyes, usually kind and warm, were cold and glared unblinkingly at the hollow. Byakuya had never felt more powerless than he did now; injured and lying on the ground watching someone that he had grown to respect and maybe even care for fight against one of his demons. Ichigo's lithe body, toned with muscle, drew his eyes the most and as such, he was one of the first to notice the changes.

"Guys! Look at Ichigo!" Uryu shouted. He had also noticed the changes overtaking Ichigo's body as he had been staring at him too. The brush of Ichigo's soul pressure was like a balm to his soul. He had not felt such peace coming from a soul since his grandfather had taught him.

Ichigo's soul pressure exploded outwards from his body, flying into the air in a giant flaming column of blue energy. Ichigo's hair had lengthened to about the same length as Byakuya's and had black streaks going through it. Ichigo's eyes were a steely gray and pulsed with the blue light of his spiritual energy. The sleeves of his robe from his bankai had been torn off to resemble Shuuhei's, showing off his muscular arms and clinging tightly to his waist, but still flaring out like Zangetsu's at the bottom. But what was possibly the greatest change, was the bow that Ichigo now held in his hands. It was exactly the same as Uryu's and Ichigo was even wearing the glove.

"What happened to Zangetsu? That looks exactly like my bow and glove!" Uryu exclaimed in awe.

"Look Captain! He has your eyes and hair!" Renji exclaimed.

"And that looks similar to your outfit, Shuuhei!" Rangiku pointed out.

Ichigo smiled coldly and everyone had to tamp down a shiver. "Looks like the eyes and hair aren't the only things that he got from Captain." Renji muttered but Byakuya heard him and sent him a glare like that on Ichigo's face. Renji shivered but still muttered, "Point proven."

"Oh? What is this?" Grand Fisher asked.

An arrow flew faster than anyone could see and lodged itself in the hollow's side. "That is enough talking from you. I do not wish to hear anymore words directed at me from something as low as yourself. You are not even important enough to lick the dirt from my shoes." Ichigo hissed in a cold monotone, back straight and head held high.

"Damn! He even got the mannerisms too!" Renji exclaimed, earning himself laughs from the other Squad members and a glare from his captain.

"I have to admit, they are a lot alike right now." Captain Ukitake said thoughtfully.

Byakuya groaned and turned his eyes back to Ichigo. He had to admit though, that Ichigo possessed the grace of a noble and perhaps he did act slightly like himself.

Grand Fisher looked enraged before smirking and throwing his giant hand towards Shuuhei. Ichigo, knowing that he couldn't protect himself right now, flash-stepped in front of Shuuhei and let the hand go through his shoulder, creating a deep gash. "I think not." He said coldly.

Grand Fisher growled and threw a quicker hand at Uryu. Ichigo once again flash-stepped in front and took the blow, this one creating a gash on his other shoulder. Blood started dripping down both his arms and plopped onto the ground. "You can leave him alone." Ichigo said, glaring heavily at the hollow.

Another huge hand was sent out, but this time at the injured Byakuya. He closed his eyes, knowing that he couldn't get out of the way, and waited for the blow to come. When it didn't and he hear a low grunt of pain he opened his eyes to see Ichigo with blood pouring out of his stomach standing in front of him. "You will not touch him either." He said frostily.

"While we are on the subject of people that you will not hurt, I will say this. You cannot touch any of these people here. I will not let you." Ichigo promised in a monotone.

Grand Fisher smirked. "We shall see about that." He threw out attacks at every person there.

"Zangetsu my friend, please turn back into a sword. I think it is time that we put an end to this charade." Ichigo stated calmly.

"_Agreed."_ A gruff voice that seemed to come from nowhere stated. In the next moment, Ichigo was in a stance resembling Shuuhei's and holding a pure black sword that looked like any regular zanpakuto. He held it in front of his face with the sharp edge facing out before turning it sharply.

"Scatter." He breathed.

Byakuya's eyes widened and he barely heard the other's astonishment as he watched Ichigo use his own move to dispatch the attacks. He felt himself blushing faintly as Ichigo shot him a quick roguish grin before the cold mask was back and he was facing the hollow, which was ridiculous because Byakuya Kuchiki does _not_ blush!

"Impossible! Lord Aizen did not inform me of this!" Grand Fisher yelled, bleeding from millions of little cuts all over his body.

"That's because Aizen did not know. I discovered this skill awhile back but was unable to fully develop and refine it until I was training to achieve bankai. This is the first that anyone has seen me use this technique; you should be honored." Ichigo spoke with a cold smile. "Let me explain this to you. I gain characteristics and techniques of the three men I will protect with everything I have. In addition, my power skyrockets and my injuries heal rather quickly since I have so much spiritual pressure flowing through me."

Uryu, Shuuhei, and Byakuya were filled with warmth. Now they understood Ichigo's transformation and the comforting brushes of spiritual energy they have felt since Ichigo began his transformation.

"It's time for you to go now." Ichigo said, kneeling down next to the hollow. "Give the other hollows my regards in hell." Ichigo said before slashing the hollow's mask in half and calling forth the Gates of Hell. Chains lashed around Grand Fisher's wrists and legs and he was dragged, kicking and screaming, into hell.

Ichigo fell to his knees with silent tears running down his face. "Ichigo!" the three men exclaimed. Uryu and Shuuhei ran to his side while Byakuya got up, taking care not to jostle his injuries too much and made his way over to Ichigo as well. He dropped gracefully to his knees by Ichigo's side.

Ichigo chuckled when he saw the state of Squad Six's Captain. "Look at you, Byakuya. Let me help." Ichigo said. He laid a slightly shaking hand gently on Byakuya's wounds and everyone watched it heal in amazement.

"Don't strain yourself." Shuuhei warned, worrying at the tears still sliding down Ichigo's face.

"Pretty cool form. Mind telling us how long you've had it?" Uryu said, pushing his glasses up.

Ichigo mumbled something incoherent.

"What was that, Ichigo? I'm afraid that I don't talk mumble." Uryu said with a slight smile.

"I said since I found out that I had feelings for you three. Don't make me repeat myself." Ichigo warned, looking anywhere but at the three males surrounding him.

Renji chuckled. "Wow he really is like you, Captain. He must like you the most."

Ichigo glared at Renji but a weak chuckle escaped Byakuya. "You really do have a lot of my mannerisms, Ichigo. That must have taken some careful observation."

Ichigo once again mumbled something but Byakuya caught it and decided to have a bit of fun. "What was that? I don't think that I heard you correctly." He said a glint of mischief in his stormy gray eyes.

A pair of equally steely gray eyes shot him a dirty look. "I said since I met you. There…you can laugh at me now." Ichigo said with a defeated sigh. He picked himself up and sheathed Zangetsu. He flash-stepped away before anyone could stop him.

"Well that was certainly interesting." Shunsui remarked mildly.

"We have to find him. He's still in pain and you could practically feel the sorrow emanating from him. It is most important that we find him and soon." Uryu said with a sigh, worry etching itself into his soul. That was so like Ichigo to make a big confession like that then run away before anyone has a chance to say anything.

"Everyone split up. Rioka will be assigned a captain to be paired with so that they will know when we find Ichigo. Send word when you find him and don't let him out of your sight, got it?" Shuuhei asked.

At the agreeing nods, he said, "Good. Uryu, you can come with me. Let's go."

They walked away, leaving the others to sort themselves out. Before they got to the edge of the hill, they felt Byakuya's spiritual pressure moving as he flash-stepped away from the hill to look for their missing lover. And that was what he was…a lover, friend and protector.

**A/n. Done! I originally meant for this to be a one shot but if anyone wants me to continue then I will. This would only have one more chapter in it and would tell about their search and the big confessions. I would love to hear your thoughts on this!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n. I've seen a whole bunch of wonderful comments from my dear readers and have even had some ask for a continuation. I'm glad that you all liked it! This chapter is dedicated to Xyla Zhin, Librajem, and Guest. **

**As I said before, this will be the only other chapter I write for this. As such, it will be long too. I'm sorry that this wasn't out sooner but I've been slightly out of commission. I had really long nails and I went to get a binder out of my school locker when I ripped my nail pretty much in half. Half of it is still attached to the skin. As you can probably imagine, doing anything with my left hand right now is pretty slow going.**

**Anyway, it's not serious but it is pretty painful (especially since I keep banging it off things). **

**Disclaimer: Hasn't changed from the previous chapter. Bleach is still not mine, however unfortunate that is.**

"ICHIGO! Ichigo, seriously! Where are you?" Uryu yelled, his silence long forgotten. They had been scouring the Soul Society for Ichigo for five hours now and he was starting to get desperate.

"Where the hell could he have gone?" Uryu whispered.

"We should probably head back and meet with the others. Maybe they found him." Shuuhei said with a sigh. They both knew that the others hadn't found him either but they could still hope.

The two soon found themselves back in the empty Council 46 room, surrounded by the other Captains, Lieutenants, and friends of Ichigo.

"Any luck?" Byakuya asked, looking worn.

"None. We were hoping that one of you had found him." Uryu said sadly.

The room was quiet while everyone thought of what they should do next. It was Orihime who spoke next.

"Maybe he's back in our world?" she asked softly, looking at Uryu and Chad.

"…"

"…"

"Is it really that simple?" Rukia asked while everyone in the room did a collective face palm.

"Only the Captains will go for this. I want two Captains with each of the humans since they know that world better than we do. Shuuhei, you can come with us." Byakuya said, motioning at Uryu and himself.

Shuuhei nodded and watched as the others split up. Shunsui and Captain Ukitake would be going with Orihime. Toshiro and Kenpachi would be going with Chad.

"If anyone finds him, let the rest of the team know immediately and make sure you keep your eyes on him at all times." Byakuya said authoritatively.

Everyone nodded and Captain Unohana opened the gate to the living world.

"Brother, perhaps you should stay and rest for a bit. You look horrible." Rukia offered hesitantly.

Byakuya's eyes flashed. "No! I will not rest until Ichigo is found! I wish to know what all this is about." He snapped angrily, his icy, calm demeanor gone in the face of his worry for the orange-haired soul reaper. He stepped through the portal and the others quickly followed.

When they stepped out, they were instantly assaulted by the downpour. "It would be raining." Toshiro whined unhappily.

"It's almost as if the weather senses Ichigo's mood." Orihime said somberly.

After that, the three person teams were quickly split up and walking in different directions. It was quiet for a few minutes before Uryu spoke thoughtfully.

"If I was Ichigo and I was upset, where would I go? There has to be somewhere. He wouldn't go home; that's too easy. He wouldn't go to Urahara's either; that's too obvious. So where has he gone?"

The group soon found themselves walking along a riverbank. Shuuhei was scanning the surroundings when he spotted a familiar splash of orange. "I think that's him sitting over there." Shuuhei quietly pointed out.

Byakuya and Uryu looked in the direction that Shuuhei motioned to and, sure enough, there was Ichigo, drenched from the rain, sitting on the ground staring contemplatively into the river. The three men walked over to him and stopped a few feet next to him. If Ichigo noticed their presence, he didn't show it.

Just when Uryu was about to say something, Ichigo spoke in a sad, quiet voice. "It was raining that day too."

"What day, Ichigo?" Uryu asked gently, throwing a glance at the other two warning them not to interfere. He sank to his knees in front of Ichigo.

"The day my mother died." Ichigo said in a pained whisper. "It was raining terribly and I remember walking by the street holding my mother's hand. It was right after I had martial arts too. A car flew by and water came up splashing all over me. My mother told me to let her walk by the street so we switched places." Ichigo said, a sad smile playing around his mouth.

"Then what happened?" Uryu asked in a hushed tone.

"We were walking home right over there. I didn't know that I could see spirits at the time and I saw a little girl. She couldn't have been much older than I was and she was standing next to the water; right at this spot. I remember wondering what she was doing by the river with no umbrella. She got ready to jump and I remember the panic I felt then. What was she doing? Didn't she know how dangerous the river was? She was going to die if I didn't do anything." Ichigo whispered, a few tears sliding down his face and mixing with the rain.

"I wrenched my hand from my mother's and ran down here." He got up and walked a few steps away. Uryu rose slowly and followed him, motioning for the others to walk behind him. Ichigo crouched down next to the water and dipped a hand in. "I could hear my mother yelling my name but I couldn't stop. That girl was in danger; how could my mother not help? I reached out for the girl but my arms weren't long enough. She fell in the water with a horrifying splash. I don't really remember what happened next. One moment I was reaching for the girl and the next I was on the ground underneath my mother." He said, tossing a small rock into the river, creating ripples across its surface.

"Ichigo…" Shuuhei breathed.

"I shook her, calling for her. She wasn't waking up." He turned tortured eyes to the three men and they froze at the depth of the pain they saw there. "Why wouldn't she wake up? What was wrong with her? Was she just sleeping? It was then that I realized she was dead. How could I explain this to Dad? What about Yuzu and Karin? How could I tell them that she was dead? Dead, because of my stupidity." Ichigo said in a strangled voice.

"It wasn't until a year ago when we were visiting mom's grave that I learned that it was the Grand Fisher who had killed my mother. He slaughtered her in cold blood. Looking up into that horrid face, do you know what my first thought was?" Ichigo asked them.

"What was it?" Byakuya asked in a choked voice.

"This was the last thing my mother saw." Ichigo said, tears falling quickly down his face. "That face was the only thing she saw when she died and it was all my fault."

"Ichigo… the only one to blame for your mother's death is that hollow." Uryu said.

"Grand Fisher told me one year ago that he was after me. He wanted me and he didn't care who got in the way because he would just eat their souls too. So you see, it is my fault because if I hadn't been there, then I wouldn't have endangered my mother and she would still be alive. I should have died that day; not her." Ichigo said, eyes burning with self-hatred.

"Listening to her say those things today, it just confirmed it. I am worthless. No good son would fail to protect his mother when she needs it." He said, balling his hands into fists and wincing when that made more blood drip down his arms from the wounds on his shoulders.

"Ichigo! You're still injured! You need to get that looked at!" Shuuhei exclaimed worriedly.

"I won't die from it." Ichigo said flatly. "It can wait awhile longer; doesn't even hurt really." He said offhandedly.

Byakuya, who had been pretty quiet lately, had his fists clenched and his knuckles were turning white. "Ichigo," he whispered dangerously. "You are not worthless! You were just a kid; how could you have known about your abilities? Furthermore, that was not truly your mother there. Everything said was just the Grand Fisher trying to twist you around. I never want to hear you talk about yourself that way again and I most certainly don't want to hear you say that you should have died." He exploded passionately, aiming a chilling glare at the orange-haired teen.

"Don't you think I know that?" Ichigo asked venomously. "It's just-" he faltered. "Seeing my mother's face and hearing those words come from her mouth, even if it wasn't truly her, still cuts deeply." He finished miserably. He threw himself back down on the rock, uncaring of his injuries, and a faint clinking of metal was heard.

"What was that?" Uryu asked curiously. It seemed to have occurred when Ichigo sat back on the rock.

Ichigo chuckled humorlessly. "I guess the cat, or should I say Quincy, is that out of the bag now." He pulled his jean leg up a bit to reveal…

"Is that a…?" Uryu asked in complete shock.

"Quincy cross? Why yes it is." Ichigo confirmed, gently unclasping it from around his ankle.

"B-but how is that even possible? I thought I was the last." Uryu asked, his shock warring with his happiness to have found another Quincy.

"When I came home carrying my mother's body, my father decided it was time that he told me everything. He explained to me about the Soul Society and that he was a Soul Reaper. He told me all about Hollows and helping lost souls cross into the Soul Society. Then he told me about my mother's heritage." Ichigo explained.

"Your mother?" Shuuhei asked.

"My mother, Masaki, was the daughter of Kaede Saito." Ichigo said as if that explained everything.

Uryu gasped. "Kaede Saito was the last leader of the Quincies. It was said that he disappeared when the group he was traveling with was captured by Squad Twelve. He was the leader that led the Quincies to greatness." He explained with awe clear in his tone.

"So that means that…?" Byakuya asked slowly.

"Kaede Saito, the last great Quincy leader, is my grandfather." Ichigo confirmed. "This cross was his. My father gave it to me during his explanation. He said that when my grandfather died, he asked my mom to give me his cross when I got older. She died before she could."

"A Quincy gets his own cross when he has his powers show. Did you not get one?" Uryu asked in confusion.

Ichigo reached under his shirt and drew out a cross hanging from a delicate chain. This cross was thinner than the other one and had minute blue gems decorating it where the other cross had red stones on it.

Ichigo closed his eyes and the cross morphed into a beautiful bow. It was made from smooth black metal and the delicate looking silver string was strung taut across the front. Ichigo's finger was looped around the trigger.

"How exactly does that work? Quincies draw from the reiatsu of the things around them and compress it into arrows. How does your bow have a trigger?" Byakuya asked.

Ichigo's brows drew together. "You would ask the difficult question." The others chuckled and Ichigo sighed. "I don't use the spiritual energy of the things around me. I draw from my own spiritual pressure and compress it into arrows."

"Can you show us?" Uryu asked in excitement.

Ichigo sighed again. "I guess I can, if you really want me to."

They all nodded and Ichigo let his eyes slip closed. A brief smile lit up his face before he raised his bow. A red wreathed with black beam of energy expanded across the string. Ichigo squeezed the trigger and four arrows shot faster than the eye can see from the bow and stuck into a tree thirty yards away. He let his bow fade back into his bracelet and opened his eyes slowly.

Byakuya and Shuuhei stared at the distant tree in awe. They had not even seen one arrow be released, let alone four. Ichigo was truly a formidable man.

"That's impressive! How many arrows can you shoot before getting tired? How can you draw on your own reiatsu? Why were your arrows red and black instead of blue?" Uryu asked, sounding like a little kid in a candy store.

Ichigo laughed happily and Byakuya and Shuuhei felt smiles of their own slip onto their faces. "Calm down, Uryu! I've never tested myself to see how many I could shoot before getting tired. I draw from my own spiritual energy because I am part Hollow. My Hollow's spiritual energy is red and black, so my arrows are the same. That was all of them, yeah?" Ichigo asked with a small smirk on his face.

Uryu blushed slightly before feeling a smile bloom across his face. "Yeah that was all of them." He said a bit breathlessly. Here he didn't think that he could like Ichigo more, but hearing all of this, Uryu only felt his feelings grow.

"So that's quite enough about me. How about you tell me why you three are here?" Ichigo asked pleasantly, but there was a hint of danger lying underneath.

"Looking for you, of course." Byakuya answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and for the three men with Ichigo, it was.

"But why? You hate me." He told Byakuya. "You don't know me." Ichigo said plainly to Shuuhei. "And you and I are enemies, remember?" he asked Uryu.

"I don't hate you." Byakuya said, receiving a disbelieving snort from Ichigo. "I was just protecting the laws of the Soul Society. I felt respect for you when you beat me in our fight. Then it only grew as I watched you almost get sliced in half trying to save my sister from Aizen. However, when you transformed, that respect changed. Your reiatsu brushed mine and you said that the form you had was modeled after three guys whom you would give anything to protect. Then you confessed and ran away and I was so worried about you. I felt things that I have never felt before and I wish to explore these new feelings." Byakuya said, briefly laying a hand on Ichigo's cheek and looking embarrassed to have admitted all of those things.

"You are correct in saying that I don't know you. If I may, how exactly do you know about me?" Shuuhei asked.

"Rukia told me all kinds of stories about you. She told me stories about when you were fresh from the Academy and all the mess ups you had. Then she told me about your missions. I watched you fight while we were trying to save Rukia. You look really sexy when you fight, you know that?" Ichigo blurted before turning a deep red and avoiding looking at anyone there.

Shuuhei stood stunned before letting out a quiet chuckle. "You think I'm sexy?" he asked with a suggestive grin on his face. That grin only widened when Ichigo blushed darker. "I, too, felt your reiatsu brush against mine and I was overwhelmed with the emotions I felt there. I have never seen someone fight with so much courage and grace than you. The first time I saw you, you calmly stood in front of Rukia as the Sokyoku descended on your back. I think I felt my heart stop as it hit you but the smoke cleared and there you were, unharmed and ready to fight. You took on Byakuya without flinching then, tire and injured, you stared Aizen down without fear. You truly are something to be cherished, Ichigo Kurosaki." Shuuhei whispered the last part sweetly, running a hand tenderly through Ichigo's hair and kissing him softly on the cheek.

Uryu got down on his knees in front of Ichigo's bloody form and laid his long fingers on Ichigo's chin, turning his head so that Ichigo was forced to look in his eyes. "How could you think that we were enemies, Ichigo? I know what I said before but that was before I knew you. You're incredible, Ichigo!" Uryu breathed tenderly.

"I'm nothing special really." Ichigo mumbled earnestly but the three men still caught it.

"Nothing special? Ichigo, have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" Uryu reproached softly. "You are so selfless and sometimes I wonder if a person as pure as you can even exist in my world. You're so brave too, border lining on reckless most of the time but that only adds to your charm. And so unswervingly loyal. Do you see how special you are? I still cannot believe that you are even interested in me. I'm just a Quincy…nothing special compared to you. You shine ten times brighter than the most radiant gem in the world." Uryu whispered soothingly, leaning forward and pressing his lips to Ichigo's fleetingly before standing up and pulling Ichigo with him.

"Will you show us this new form of yours once more?" Byakuya asked quietly. He was dying to take one more look at Ichigo's form.

"If you want." Ichigo acquiesced, flushing a bit under the three other men's intense gaze.

He closed his eyes and breathed out a soft breath before his soul exploded from his body. He concentrated once again and his appearance quickly changed to that of when he was fighting Grand Fisher.

The others were once again blown away in awe. They couldn't believe that Ichigo was interested in them. If, of course, he would have them. Ichigo opened his eyes and a smile lit up his face at their expressions. He felt a few others teleport in, no doubt drawn by the familiar feeling of his released reiatsu.

"What do you say, Ichigo? Will you have us?" Shuuhei asked, his expression instantly regressing to worry. He looked at the other two and saw expressions of fear and worry on their faces too.

Ichigo pretended to think about it. "Of course. Why wouldn't I? We still have a lot of things that need to be worked out but, in time, I feel like we can have a good relationship." Ichigo said with a brilliant smile causing answering smiles to break out on the others' faces as well.

Byakuya laced his fingers with Ichigo's. Shuuhei wrapped his arm around Ichigo on his other side and Uryu threaded his and Ichigo's fingers behind Shuuhei's back. The group turned as one to face their friends, ready to step into a future fighting Aizen and his allies together.

**A/n. Phew! And that's it! I'm sorry if the ending sucked but I had to take Nyquil so I'm a little out of it right now. Thanks again for the reviews and I hope that you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I can't wait to hear your thoughts.**


	3. Sorry guys!

**Hey guys! So I got a review from a guest on Reading with the Heroes of Chaos saying that they reported me for stealing Rick Riordan's work. I am now in the process of moving my stories to Archive of Our Own. I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience to you but I've found a lot of things on there that I like a lot better than this site. I just don't want to go through the same thing that IkutoisSmexy did.**

**Please PM me if you have any questions. You can find me under the same name on Archive of Our Own and I've already posted a slightly revised edition of the first chapter of Reading with the Heroes of Chaos and the first chapter of this story there. This account will still be open for beta reading (so if you know of anyone that could use one...) and for reading others' stories. I wish you all the best and this is me posting for probably one of the last times on this website.**

**If you make the switch to Archive of Our Own, I swear you won't regret it! (They definitely don't just delete your stories then send you a warning after it's already done! And they have a lot less rules as to what you can and cannot post!)**

**Just take the spaces out but the link to Archive of Our Own is: www. archiveofourown .org **

**Bye guys!**


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